I would consider myself to be a world traveler, and like everyone else I’ve been stuck behind the laptop screen for a year and a half. I was both anxious and excited to finally take to the skies for my recent trip to Medellin. This was my 4th trip to South America but my first trip to Colombia. I found the people of Medellin to be proud of their country and excited to show you their local food, customs and traditions. Colombians have worked hard for decades to move beyond the stereotypes of cartels and a crime-ridden, unsafe country (a stereotype which is reinforced by shows like “Narcos”). What I saw was a bustling, vibrant city of hard working, hard playing people. Of course, I wouldn’t wander some of the streets at night as an obvious visiting business person, but I can say the same about parts of Boston. Does Medellin have issues with bureaucracy, inequality, traffic, etc.? Of course! Do we have all those issues here in the U.S.? Yes, we do! I learned that three and a half days is not enough time to spend in this beautiful city, and clearly I need to go back (once my Spanish is better, although that could take too long!).
After working with the Ballast Lane team for more than two years, being with them in person reinforced the values we have as a company, particularly with regard to Teamwork, Honesty and Ownership. Our team is smart, articulate, engaged, punctual (I believe this is a work thing and it’s a different set of rules for social engagements), and have a great sense of humor. We had a lot of laughs amongst the hard work.
I have worked with remote development teams for several decades, and the Ballast Lane team far exceeds any experience I’ve had before. Here’s a great example: I’ve NEVER worked with software developers that turn up on time for a 7:45am daily stand-up every day with a smile on their face (when they have their cameras on, and I don’t blame them for not having them on every day!). My stand-ups used to be at 10am, if I was lucky!
One of the things I love about our team is how international it is, with people from at least 10 different countries. I found myself at dinner one night with 2 Dutchmen, a Syrian-Canadian, a Venezuelan and a Colombian. As we continue to grow (80-something employees and new people joining every week), we are working to ensure that different cultures, personalities and styles of working are taken into consideration when processes and procedures are introduced. This will serve us well when it comes to retention and continued growth. An international team is also a great benefit to our clients. We take great pride in being more than just a vendor, but also a partner, to ensure that products and services are optimized for different needs, all over the world. With a team of many nationalities, life experiences and backgrounds, we bring different perspectives to the design, development and implementation of the apps, websites and systems that we build.